Recessed hardmask used to form heat-assisted magnetic recording near-field transducer with heat sink

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11456008-B2
Application number	US-201916291465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2019
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

A method involves depositing a near-field transducer on a substrate of a slider. The near-field transducer comprises a plate-like enlarged portion and a peg portion. A first hard stop extending from the near field transducer and an air bearing surface is formed. A heat sink is formed on the enlarged portion and the first hard stop. A dielectric material is deposited over the near-field transducer and the heat sink. A second hard stop is deposited on the dielectric material away from the air bearing surface. The second hard stop comprises a recess corresponding in size and location to the heat sink. The method involves milling at an oblique angle to the substrate between the first hard stop and second hard stop to cut through the heat sink at the angle. The recess of the second hard stop increases a milling rate over the heat sink compared to a second milling rate of the dielectric away from the heat sink.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a near-field transducer system comprising:
depositing a near-field transducer on a substrate of a slider, the near-field transducer comprising an enlarged portion and a peg portion;
forming a first hard stop extending from the near-field transducer to an air bearing surface;
forming a heat sink on the enlarged portion and the first hard stop;
depositing a dielectric material over the near-field transducer and the heat sink;
depositing a second hard stop on the dielectric material away from the air bearing surface, the second hard stop comprising a recess; and
milling at an angle to the substrate between the first hard stop and second hard stop to cut through the heat sink at the angle, the recess of the second hard stop increasing a milling rate over the heat sink compared to a second milling rate of the dielectric away from the heat sink.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the milling, the heat sink has a sloped planar upper surface and a planar lower surface, the planar lower surface facing the enlarged region.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the width of the heat sink between the sloped planar upper surface and the planar upper surface is in a range from about 15 nm to about 50 nm.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the width of the heat sink between the sloped planar upper surface and the planar lower surface is about 25 nm.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein a slope of the planar upper surface with respect to the substrate after the milling in a range from about 20 degrees to about 30 degrees.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a trapezoidal shape.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recess has at least one curve.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a rectangular shape.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the heatsink is cylinder like.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the heatsink comprises Au.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material comprises one or more of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recess corresponds in size and location to the heat sink.

13. A method of forming a near-field transducer system comprising:
depositing a near-field transducer on a substrate of a slider, the near-field transducer comprising a plate-shaped enlarged portion and a peg portion;
forming a first hard stop extending from the near-field transducer to an air bearing surface;
forming a heat sink on the enlarged portion and the first hard stop, the heat sink comprising a first material;
depositing a dielectric over the near-field transducer and the heat sink, the dielectric comprising a second material;
depositing a second hard stop on the dielectric material away from the air bearing surface, the second hard stop comprising a recess; and
milling at an oblique angle to the substrate between the first hard stop and second hard stop to cut through the heat sink at the angle, the recess of the second hard stop increasing a milling rate of the first material compared to a second milling rate of the second material.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein after the milling, the heat sink has a sloped planar upper surface and a planar lower surface, the planar lower surface facing the enlarged region.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the width of the heat sink between the sloped planar upper surface and the planar upper surface is in a range from about 15 nm to about 50 nm.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the width of the heat sink between the sloped planar upper surface and the planar lower surface is about 25 nm.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein a slope of the planar upper surface with respect to the substrate after the milling in a range from about 20 degrees to about 30 degrees.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first material comprises Au.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second material comprises one or more of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the recess corresponds in size and location to the heat sink.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Natarajarathinam Anusha
• Zhao Yongjun
• Brickner Hui
• Hong Dongsung

Classifications

• G11B5/40

  Protective measures on heads, e.g. against excessive temperature  (G11B5/31 takes precedence; protection against wear G11B5/255  {; protective structure of the head: see under structures, e.g. G11B5/3106}) · CPC title

• G11B5/3136

  for reducing the pole-tip-protrusion at the head transducing surface, e.g. caused by thermal expansion of dissimilar materials · CPC title

• G11B5/105

  Mounting of head within housing {or assembling of head and housing (G11B5/3103 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G11B5/3163

  Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers · CPC title

• G11B2005/0021

  Thermally assisted recording using an auxiliary energy source for heating the recording layer locally to assist the magnetization reversal · CPC title